It's a dog's vacation

Thirty seconds spent in the lobby of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and the fawning had begun. Amid the spectacular scenery that makes the upscale hotel's backdrop in the Canadian Rockies, our scene-stealer was making his move.

Brody, our five-month-old Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever, was in full love-magnet mode and doing his best to overshadow the beauty of the Bow River Valley. The concierge was quick to leave his desk to pet him while a hotel regular, and fellow dog owner, was intent on being introduced during the check-in process.

She was quick to spill about the Banff Springs' doggy amenities that would turn our tail-chasing pooch into a "hotel snob." Looking down at Brody, who gets ecstatic over a handful of snow and believes ice cubes are the treats of kings, I had my doubts.

But it was comforting to know he was openly welcomed, and not just tolerated. I imagine taking a puppy on a road trip would be similar to taking a baby or young child. They are the ultimate wild card, holding the fate of any trip in their tiny little hands, or in this case, paws. They can be quiet and calm or loud and inconsolable.

They can make the travel time seem short or seemingly endless. And they can take over whatever trip you're on and make it their own. My girlfriend, Erin, and I had resigned ourselves to the fact our annual ski trip to Banff was about to become more about long walks near icy river banks, plastic bags in hand, than carving any slopes when we decided to get a dog. To us, he's more than worth it.

Brody was planned as a full-fledged member of our young family and that means he holds a spot on most trips. And bumping into numerous other dog owners and animal enthusiasts during our walks around the hotel grounds and through town, we found we weren't the only ones who felt that way. For us, Brody is our introduction to parenting and a never-ending reason to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

Many older couples consider their pets their children, filling the void after the kids leave home. Lots of people in between had their dogs along because it was a better, and often cheaper, alternative to putting them in kennels. At the Banff Springs, it costs an extra $25 a night for a dog. The cost is to cover the extra cleaning, but they also provided a bed of old pillows and blankets, a couple dog dishes for food and water and a baggy of gourmet dog treats from a local pet boutique.

A series of hikes are near the hotel, including at least one just down the hill at the Spray River. However, they'd be much easier to traverse in warmer weather than the still-icy conditions we encountered in March.

At the end of our trip, we also stayed at the Best Western Siding 29 Lodge, where Brody lodged for free with the trade-off that we slept in a smoking room and experienced a dropoff in service and cleanliness. A number of other hotels in the Rockies also aim to be "pet-friendly" for those getaways from the city, most of which charge some sort of fee as well, and some of which try to go the extra mile for your pets.

As we wound through the Banff Springs grounds that first day and entered our room to find the spread for Brody and a friendly, handwritten letter addressed to him from housekeeping, it helped us relax. It showed they all knew he was there and liked him, too. Other than one somewhat skittish maid, who warmed up to him by the end of our stay, he soaked up nothing but rock-star attention from staff and most guests. Smiles, craned necks and petting met him at most every turn in a sensation overload. We also received two separate offers from staff members to drop by our room on their time off and walk and feed Brody when we brought up the conundrum that we might not be able to make it back one afternoon.

Dog-walking is not officially offered as a service, but the staff's enthusiasm for it was undeniable. Many missed their own pets. It was a similar experience to the one we had at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge the previous month for the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Ski for Heart event. The cabin setting is perfect for pet owners who appreciate the easy access to the outdoors for feeding time, bathroom breaks and a never-ending succession of walks. The pet fee bumps up to $50 a night at the Jasper Park Lodge.

The positives of location help balance that off a bit, with frozen lakes on the lodge's doorstep to wander and slip and slide on in winter, and trails around those lakes for summer hiking. It was important for Erin and I that all our hotel stays were met with a happy, relatively bark-free pooch. Just because we were on vacation didn't mean we could be lazy in picking up after Brody or in keeping him happy and occupied so he didn't irritate anyone else. A number of hotels have swung their doors open to pets because there is a demand and a willingness to pay a bit more to bring Fido along. It's wonderful, but it can go all wrong, as not everyone has the same affinity or patience for dogs.

There was no handbook waiting for us when we checked in at any of the three places we've stayed with Brody on pet protocol. Nothing listed what kind of access dogs were allowed to have in the hotel, if there was a designated potty spot, or what they should be allowed to do in the hotel rooms.

The hotels seem to bank on common sense ruling the day and we found it to be hit-and-miss. The grounds at the Fairmont hotels were clean, other than the pebbly poop of wild game in Jasper. That could mean their customers are especially responsible in picking up after their dogs, or that staff lend a helping hand to keep the place tidy.

At the Best Western, their grounds were covered in dog poop, garbage and cigarette butts. That's doing favours to no one and makes pet owners look bad. To err on the side of caution, we always kept Brody on a leash and pre-warned people who fawned over him that he may have muddy paws and will jump up. Most people still proceeded to bear-hug him and give him one of our puppy treats. Some soaked up his enthusiasm for life from a safe distance in their nicer clothes.

Either way, he was a hit. And our first forays into pet-friendly hotels were largely a success. So while Lassie was the first to break the dog barrier at the Banff Springs in 1940, as we found out on a building tour, Brody laid claim to many of their staff's and customers' hearts in 2007.

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